PipelineRx Expands the Telepharmacy Biz You’ve heard of telemedicine, no doubt, which is gaining traction among patients, providers and payors alike. Now we’re seeing some consolidation in the tele-pharmacy business. Last week PipelineRx, a clinical telepharmacy platform company, expanded its presence with the acquisition of Quality Pharmacy Management, the Denver-based provider of remote pharmacy services in six Western states. Since it launched in 2009, PipelineRx’s clinical telepharmacists provide cost-effective medication management services to hospitals.

Q4:14 Health Care M&A Bests Q3 Health care M&A in the fourth quarter of 2014 was busy, we know, and the preliminary figures suggest a major surge in spending. Preliminary data shows 341 transactions announced in Q4:14, and combined spending of $138 billion. The deal volume grew 3% compared over the previous quarter, but the dollar volume skyrocketed by 120%. But there’s always some perspective needed when looking at the money side. The year’s biggest deal, Actavis’ (NYSE: ACT) $66 billion takeover of Allergan (NYSE: AGN), was announced in November 2014. Removing it from the equation leaves Q4:14 combined spending at $72.3 billion. That’s still 15% higher than Q3:14, but definitely more realistic. For more information on Q4 and the entire 2014 deal landscape, see the January 2015 issue of Health Care M&A News.

The Ensign Group Starts 2015 on a Tear The new year began with a bang for The Ensign Group (NASDAQ: ENSG), which announced five separate transactions on January 5. On the skilled nursing side, the company acquired a 103-bed SNF in Lubbock, Texas and a 158-bed post-acute care campus in Pueblo, Colorado that includes 141 skilled nursing beds and a 17-bed independent and assisted living operation. It also picked up two hospices, one in Lubbock, Texas and another in Scottsdale, Arizona. And finally, Ensign bought Integrity Urgent Care, with two urgent care clinics in Colorado Springs.

Chinese Biotech Closes $25 Million Series B Round Hua Medicine Ltd., a clinical-stage biotechnology company in Shanghai, closed a $25 million Series B financing. The funds will help move its lead product candidate, HMS5552, a novel fourth-generation glucokinase activator for Type 2 diabetes, into Phase 2 clinical development, as well as move additional assets through its pipeline. The round was led by Ally Bridge Group, joined by new investors Frontline BioVentures and TF Capital, as well as existing Series A investors ARCH, Venrock, Fidelity, WuXi Ventures and SAIL. ………….Click here for a free trial to The Health Care M&A Information Source and download the current issue today.